Process for fulling or felting wool or hair



Patented Sept 20, 1938 uNiTEo srAT s PATENT OFFICE jPRocEss-Fon FULLING on FELT'ING wool.

on 1mm I Anton Volz, Ludwigshalen-on-the-Rhine, Cermany, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Hall Laboratories Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa.

No Drawing. Application July 27, 1936, Serial No. 92,923. In Germany August 1, 1935 9 Claims: (CI. 26-19) The working up of wool and hair to a compact felted layer is efiectedby means of fullin or milling operations.

The milling or fulling is carried out with me- 5 chanical treatment of the material being felted.

, ifnecessary in the hot, in alkaline or acid fulling bath. Alkaline fulling agents heretofore have been prepared with addition of alkalies, such as soda and potash, and acid fullingagents with ad- .lo dition of inorganic and organic acids.

The employment of these fulling agents requires special experience and very easily leads to a mechanical and chemicalinjury .of the material being fulled, particularly when these fullingl agents are employed in concentrations which yield an optimum fulling efiect. a l

The surprising observation has now':been-made that by means of water-soluble salts of those phosphoric acids which are poorer in water than orthophosphoric acid, that is to say, contain less constitutional water than orthophosphoric acids (such as pyroand meta-phosphoric acids), a substantial improvement in the fulling action is produced, and in fact both in the case of fulling in the greasy or dirty condition as well asin the case of neutral to alkaline fulling of pro-washed goods and also in the case of acid fulling of preparticularly'necessary to avoid these disturbing metals or their carbonates or fatty acid salts settling in the goods.

40 The above-mentioned phosphates oiler the advantage that a better felt is produced in a shorter time, with lower alkalinity, that is to say with maximum preservation of the fibres and-best maintenance of the weight.

- phosphate solutions and are softer and more extensible under the fulling or milling members and mechanically are impaired to a considerably less I extent; more particularly the felting in of fulling marks is avoided. Fats which are dlmcult to.

vsaponify are saponified more rapidly so that the additional addition of soap can be dispensed with. Pre-washed goods can be fulled or milled with This better fulling action is assisted 35 by the lime-binding, magnesia-binding and ironbinding action of anhydrous phosphates, it being The goods run more easily in the presence oi without alkali, and in fact in alkaline, neutral and acid medium.

Example of fullingpr milling in the greasy or dirty condition y Two pieces of goods weighing altogether 50 kg. are introduced on to themilling cylinder and, corresponding to the dirt content, soda lye of 2 Baum, which contains in addition 10 g. sodium hexametaphosphate and 5 g. sodium p'yrophosphate per litre, is poured on. .A strong froth immediately forms and the goods begin to feltuniformly.

Example of the falling or milling ofpre-uxrshed goods The goods are washed at 40 C. with 2-3g. per litre-of calcined soda and l g.- per litre ofa mixture of sodium hexametaphosphate and sodium pyrophosphate. The washing takes about hour and then the goods are rinsed. The material is then treated on the fulling qr milling machine 1 Y I with a sodium pyrophosphate solution containing 40 g. per litre, the quantity being such that the goods do not become too wet.

Instead of sodium pyrophosphate, poly-phosphates or mixtures of sodium hexametaphosphate with soap or with acids can, also be used, and in fact in concentrations of 2-100 g. per litre of liquor. I

After all fulllng or milling rinsing is effected, if desired with addition of 1 g. per litre of a mixture of sodium hexametaphosphate with sodium pyro phosphate. t

Example for acid falling The pre-cleansed goods are soaked in a 5% solution of a mixture of acid pyrophosphate and metaphosphate, (pH 4.04) and fulled on the machine. o

Example for neutral falling The pre-cleansed goods are fulled on the machine with an 8% solution of a mixture of tetrasodium'pyrophosphate and metaphosphate which has been adjusted to pH 7.0, so much oi this solution being poured on to the goods that the later proceeds sumciently moist, in general twice to three times the weight of the goods being used.

Example ior'a kazme jullino with agents Mitch promote felting The carded yarn goods oiled with'oleln are treated, per bank, with 2 buckets (=20 litres) 01' a solution of 15-20 g. per litre of soda and 5-10 3.

v suitable phosphate mixtures without soap and per litre of sodium polyphosphate (melon).- v 5 11s.. we.

whereupon the goods are fulled as usual until they show the requisite contraction in width and length.

If a material is lulled for 30 minutes at 25' on the machine in a 2.5% fulling solution which contains 1. Soda (pH=l1.6)

2. Neutral pyrophosphate (pH=9.6)

3. A mixture of pyrophosphate and metaphosphate (pH=8.8)

4. Metaphosphate (pH=6.65)

5. A mixture of acid pyrophosphate metaphosphate (pH='4.04)

6. Polyphosphate (pH=7.5)

then in the case of the substance fulled with soda a pronounced streak formation occurs and the initial fulling is interior. -The initial fulling in the case of all anhydrous phosphates is uniform and the fulled product oi a very fine full feel.

The use of these salts as fulling agents aifords the further advantage that with them both alkaline, neutral as well as acid fulling baths can be prepared and that also in addition the pH value can be varied during the fulling within the wide limits. As a result it is possible to take into account to a maximum degree the preservation or protection of the fibre and colour.

When using these salts known agents which promote the formation of felt and which do not impair the fibre can be employed as well in addition.

What I claim is:

1. ;[he method of fulling or felting wool or hair in alkaline, neutral or acid medium which consists in employing as fulling agent at least one water-soluble salt of a phosphoric acid containing less water than orthophosphoric acid.

2. The method of fulling or felting wool or hair in alkaline, neutral or-acid medium which consists in employing as fulling agent a mixture of alkali metal hexametaphosphate an alkali metal pyrophosphate.

sists in employing as fulling agent a mixture of alkali metal hemmetaphosphate and acid.

5. The method of fulling or felting wool or hair -in alkaline, neutral or acid medium which consistsini'ullingthesaid material with the aid oi at least one water-soluble salt of a phosphoric acid containing less constitutional water than orthophosphorlc acid, and rinsing the iulled goods in water containing a small quantity of a1- kall metal hexametaphosphate and alkali metal BR 1 1 7. Use method 01' fulling or felting wool or hair in alkaline, neutral or acid medium which consists in employing as fulling agent at least onewater-soluble salt of a phosphoric acid containing less constitutional water than orthophosphoric acid in conjunction with other known agents which promote felting.

8. The method of fulling or felting wool or hair which consists in treating the material with soda lye containing a small amount of alkali metal hemmetaphosphate and alkali metal pyrophosphate.

9. The method of tulling or felting wool or hair consisting in washing the material with an aqueous solution containing calcined soda, alkali metal hexametaphosphate and alkali metal pyrophosphate, and then fulling it with a solution containing' alkali metal pymp osphate.

ANTON VOLZ'. 

